The Stairs
by Eragi
Summary: One-shot. Hogwarts is a school of tricks, illusions and trouble. When Hermione accidentally falls prey to the tricks of the castle, who will her night in shining armour be?


She couldn't BELIEVE them. Neither of them!

"Hermione can you read my potions essay?"

"Hermione will you lend me your charms notes?"

"Hermione can you take my book back to the library?"

"Hermione can you help me with my wandwork?"

Hermione Hermione Hermione Hermione, all the time. And never, ever do they say please. She asked them one thing – one tiny little thing, and they're all eye-rolling and sighing dramatically. All she wanted was for them to help her hand out some S.P.E.W flyers at Hogsmeade, but oh no, they couldn't possibly want to spend any time helping her out.

So she was going to the library. Of course she was, it was the only place she ever felt at home, it was where she hid when she couldn't bear being harassed by Ron and Harry, when she just wanted a little bit of peace and quiet. She was taking a different route than usual, she was angry, so unbelievably angry, she turned wrong as she walked. When she looked up, she recognised that she was on the wrong side of the school, so took the only route she could think of – across the moving stairs. Hermione hated the moving stairs, they were so unpredictable and unhelpful when you needed to rush, but she had no choice.

Storming down some stairs, she paid no mind to her route. As the ancient steps began to swing around, she slipped down the step, landing firmly in a false stair. Her feet were trapped. She growled in annoyance, and grabbed the railing, attempting to heave her body out of the step. The staircase came to a still, and she took a deep breath, before heaving again, straining her body, but her feet would not budge. She muted a scream of fury, and sat down, furiously, on the step. She had left her bag in the common room, her wand, she knew, was in the front pocket. Why, she reasoned, would she have possibly had to carry it around – after all, there was to be no duelling in the corridors. Now, of course, she realised that she was being stupid. She sighed, and resolved to wait for help, watching the painting of an elderly women cooking on an old-fashioned stove bustle about her business.

It had been hours, she was sure of it. Her feet had gone numb, her bottom was sore from sitting on stone, and her patience, that which she prided herself on, had run short. She had all but fallen asleep, when she heard footsteps. Her eyes snapped open to see Draco Malfoy standing at the bottom of the stairs, smirking at her.

"You do know I can see up your skirt, Granger?" He drawled, as he leant against the banister.

"You-Shut up and bugger off you git. What the bloody hell are you doing in this part of the castle, anyway?"

"I might ask you the same thing. A bit far from your common room, aren't you? Anyway, you keep talking to me like that, I might think you don't want me to help you." He smirked at her, and she growled.

"Well, I don't! Like you'd help anyway." He could hear the defeat in her voice. Judging by her bedraggled appearance, she'd been there for hours.

"Who's to say I wouldn't?" He said, looking at her, his eyes boring into her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Don't even pretend you thought about it for a second, Malfoy." She sneered.

"I did, actually. I can't bear to see a damsel in distress, even one as pitiful as you. Of course, I want you to beg for me." She stared at him, her eyes afire.

"Never." She growled through gritted teeth.

"Fine. Guess you'll be stuck here until Filch find you."

"Wait- Wait. Fine. Okay. Malfoy – Draco. Can you please assist me from this horribly uncomfortable position so I can clobber you around the head for perving up my skirt?" A grin flashed across his face, as he began up the stairs. He continued past her, pulling her to her feet as he walked behind her. He pushed his arms under her armpits, and wrapped his arms around her, grabbing her breasts as he did.

"MALFOY!" She yelled and he heaved her out of the step. She swung around, and whacked him firmly. He laughed at her, and she smiled back, before she realised who it was.

"I'm-i'm going to go back to the dorm." She said, not looking at him. He nodded.

"See you around, Granger." He said, and continued up the stairs.

"Goodbye, Malfoy." She said, before heading back to the dormitory.


End file.
